Community action for equitable food systems.

WFPA got VEGUCATED.

Last night WFPA got “Vegucated” and learned about “American Meat” while enjoying some delicious (and free) Meatless Monday inspired grub at NYU Law School. NYU Law School and WFPA hosted foodsters in the NYU community for a vegan dinner, film screening, and conversation with the film makers, complete with accompanying movie snacks of course! Both film makers were happy to answer crowd questions leading to quite a dynamic discussion and offered actions you can take NOW to support local sustainable agriculture in your neighborhood. Read on for details.

What do a standup comedian and mother of two, a bachelor in his twenties, and, a 1st generation young Hondoran woman have in common? Together they got VEGUCATED. Vegucated is about three meat eating New Yorkers becoming vegan and subsequently educating themselves about the animal processing industry near the New York City area.

Were you aware that Chipotle sources local grass-fed pork for their carnitas in all their Virginia stores? And who is this self-proclaimed lunatic farmer named Joel Salatin? All of this and more is revealed in American Meat, a film about meat processing and the meat business in the United States. Filmmaker Graham Meriwether spent more than a year traveling the country and interviewing American meat producers about the challenges and rewards of their industry. During the audience discussion after our screening, Graham said, “Agriculture [of any kind] is a violent process.” As the “lunatic farmer” believes, it’s up to us to “build forgiveness” into our agro-ecological system. American Meat, explores these concepts.

Get in on the ACTION!

Make the Meatless Monday Pledge! Go Meatless just one day a week and you can have a huge impact on our food system and the environment. Watch this video.

Sign the petitions at Food Democracy Now! Petitions range from small farmer rights, revisions to this year’s Farm Bill, and GMO labeling.

Stay Informed: read up on California Prop 37. Do you think GMO labeling should be required? Comment with your thoughts.

Finally, thanks to all who joined us at the screen and made the Meatless Monday pledge. We look forward to seeing you at the next WFPA event!